


This is The Voice

by iaminarage



Category: Glee
Genre: AU based on The Voice, Marley Rose & Unique Adams friendship, No RPF, Reality Show AU, The Voice AU, hints of Ryder Lynn/Unique Adams
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-12-21
Updated: 2015-12-21
Packaged: 2018-05-08 05:24:19
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,796
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5485226
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/iaminarage/pseuds/iaminarage
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Unique auditions for The Voice (AU where most of the original Glee kids are famous).</p>
            </blockquote>





	This is The Voice

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Januarium](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Januarium/gifts).



> HAPPY BIRTHDAY JAN!!!!!! 
> 
> This is a birthday fic for the lovely and amazing Januarium. The art was commissioned from [wthispattysimcox](http://wthispattysimcox.tumblr.com/), who was awesome to work with. Thanks to loveinisolation for the beta!
> 
> You do not need to have seen The Voice for this to make sense.

Unique shifted in her chair and crossed her legs again as she waited for her turn to go on stage. She snuck another glance at the cute PA standing by the door with his clipboard and headset. She’d spent most of the afternoon trying to stop herself from staring at him. The problem was that he was adorable, and she wouldn’t have been able to avoid sneaking glances at him no matter where she’d met him.

But he was also the person in charge of getting the contestants on stage on time, which meant that she also kept looking at him to see how things were progressing. She really wanted to walk up and shake him. How many people had made it on the show? How many spots were left?

Of course, she also sort of wanted to think up a better reason to talk to him so she could flirt a little.

“Unique Adams! You’re on deck,” the cute PA—Ryder, according to his nametag—said. Unique’s mind went blank. For a second, she couldn’t remember her name, or what song she was singing, or why she had even gotten up and dragged herself to this audition.

A second later her brain came back online, and she tried to walk as confidently as she could over to the stage door. She took a deep breath and reminded herself of why she was auditioning for The Voice. On her YouTube videos, she’d always gotten a ton of supportive comments, and she had a great following, but she’d also gotten her share of insulting comments, including transphobic ones.

When she’d gotten the chance to audition for The Voice, it had seemed like the perfect opportunity; Unique had every faith in her singing, and she wanted the chance to be judged on that before anything else. She’d had to make it through a bunch of open call auditions to make it to the blind auditions in front of the coaches, but she had done it, and this was her shot.

“Whatever you do, don’t picture the audience in their underwear,” Ryder said. “I have it on good authority that it doesn’t actually help.”

Unique giggled and smiled at him. She relaxed a bit and took a deep breath. A second later, Ryder said “Okay, go,” and she stepped onto stage.

Unique heard the opening strains of “I'm Every Woman” from the band. She knew she only had 45 seconds to make an impression, so she poured herself into every note.

Unique was only about three lines in when she heard the weird noise that indicated that one of the coaches had pressed their button. She saw Kurt Hummel’s chair spin around, and it was all she could do to keep singing.

A second later, Mercedes Jones’s chair spun around and she grinned when she saw Unique. Then Blaine Anderson and Tina Cohen-Chang turned their chairs simultaneously. It was a four chair turn. Not only did she get to be on The Voice, but every one of the coaches wanted to work with her.

As soon as Unique finished her song, all four coaches got to their feet. Unique took an involuntary step back from the mic and brought her hand up to cover her mouth. She couldn’t believe that these four legendary artists were standing for _her_.

Once the applause started to quiet down, Blaine took the lead. “What’s your name?” he asked.

“Unique,” she said, trying to keep her voice from shaking.

Blaine gave her a warm smile. “Everyone in this room was just cheering for you. How does that feel?”

“Pretty amazing.”

“It’s a great feeling!” Blaine agreed. “All of these people are screaming because of how amazing you are. I really believe that there are things I can teach you, about this business and about performing, but the last thing I want to do is change you. You obviously know exactly who you are, and I’d love to help you become a star.”

Unique blushed lightly and said, “Thank you.” She didn’t want to say anything more because she was afraid she’d tell Blaine that she’d been following him ever since his boy band days in The Warblers and that she’d had a huge poster of him on her bedroom wall for all of middle school. And that she'd been even more excited when his solo career took off.

Tina spoke next. “Blaine is right, Unique, you are amazing. You just gave the best audition we've heard so far this season, and I am absolutely sure that you can win this entire competition.”

The audience screamed, and Unique couldn't believe she was hearing this. Tina Cohen-Chang was the front-woman of Midnight Blue, a Grammy-nominated indie-rock band. Unique owned all three of their albums. She could hardly believe that Tina thought she could win.

Tina plowed forward, heedless of Unique’s shock. “I've won The Voice four times. If you want to win, mine is the team to be on.”

“Pure luck!” Kurt Hummel shouted from the other end of the row of chairs.

Tina stuck her tongue out at him, and he rolled his eyes. “You're supposed to be an adult!” he shot back at Tina. “Can I talk now?”

“Oh, by all means,” Tina said, waving Kurt on.

Unique giggled. Kurt and Tina were notorious for teasing each other. They'd be on the show for ages, and they seemed to enjoy fighting as much as they enjoyed conspiring together.

Kurt turned his piercing blue eyes on Unique, and it felt like he drew all the focus in the room right to himself. “Unique, I spent most of my young life wishing that I was like everyone else and at the same time, fighting desperately for the space to be myself. I know what it's like to feel like you'll always be alone. But in music, being different is what makes you stand out. I don't think there are any limits to what you can achieve, and that's not only because you're talented, but because there's no one in the world like you. I'd love to help you reach your potential.”

Unique nodded. She was a little bit worried that she might start crying because Kurt Hummel had looked at her and seen exactly who she was and he'd thought that was special. She'd read a lot of interviews with Kurt where he'd talked about being bullied in high school. His success with his band, One Three Hill, had always made her feel optimistic about her future.

“Hey girl,” Mercedes Jones said, pulling her focus. “How are you doing?”

“I'm pretty overwhelmed,” Unique replied, her voice a little bit shaky.

“I would be, too!” Mercedes grinned at her. “Can I ask you what kind of music you want to sing?”

“I really love soul and R&B,” Unique replied. “Kind of like what you sing, actually.”

The rest of the judges groaned and Mercedes smile widened. “I had a feeling that's what you'd say,” Mercedes replied. “You have the perfect voice for it! I've been where you are, Unique. I was a small town girl from Ohio with absolutely no connections in the business. And I had to fight tooth and nail not to compromise who I am, but I still made it. I believe in you, Unique, and I think we can win this thing together.”

Unique took a deep, steadying breath before Tina spoke up again. “Okay, Unique. It's time. Who do you choose?”

The live audience burst into shouts, trying to tell her which coach to choose. She knew that any one of the four coaches would be amazing, and all of them seemed to genuinely believe in her, but there was only one of them that she had dreamed of being when she grew up.

“I choose Mercedes!”

* * *

Unique sat in one of the hotel’s meeting rooms and listened to Ryder explain the schedule for the battle rounds to Team Mercedes. The next week included coaching with Mercedes, visits to the stylist, band rehearsals, voice lessons, publicity shoots, and more things that Unique was already sure she was going to forget.

“Should we have taken notes?” Marley asked, leaning over to Unique. Marley Rose had been the first person that Unique had met the day of the blind auditions, and the two of them had already become fast friends, bonding over the crazy process they were involved in. Marley had only gotten one chair to turn, but that was enough, and she was on Team Mercedes. Unique was really glad that they were doing this together.

“When do we sleep?” Madison McCarthy asked from Unique’s other side.

“And now I’ll announce your battle pairings,” Ryder continued, which made all three girls sit straight up in their chairs. The battles were the first round of competition for the live playoff spots on Team Mercedes. In the battle rounds, everyone would be assigned a partner from their team and they’d have to sing a duet chosen by their coach. After their performance, their coach would choose one of the two of them to advance. Each coach would also get two steals, so eight people who didn’t win their battles would have a chance to move to the next round on a different coach’s team.

Unique held her breath waiting for Ryder to read her name. She wasn’t sure who she wanted to battle, since everyone on the team was amazing. Six pairings were read before Unique heard her name. “Unique and Marley!”

Unique turned to her friend, looking stricken, and saw an identical expression on Marley’s face. Marley was amazing, and Unique knew that their duet together would be fantastic, but this meant that only one of them could stay on Team Mercedes. Unique would have been happier to battle almost anyone else.

Marley reached over and grabbed Unique’s hand. “Let’s just have fun, okay?”

Unique smiled at her. “That sounds like a good plan.”

* * *

“Who do you think the guest coach is going to be?” Marley asked. She eyed the door nervously, waiting for Ryder to tell them to go in.

During the battle rounds, each coach asked another artist to come in and join them on their coaching session. The possibilities were almost endless, so Unique didn’t even have any ideas about who it could be.

“I’ve been busy worrying about what song we’ll get,” Unique replied honestly. Unique and Marley were both strong pop singers, so Unique was expecting a pop song, but Marley’s style tended to be a lot more soft and sweet. Unique was all about belting it out. They sounded good on duets when they hung out and sang together in the hotel, but Unique couldn’t imagine what song Mercedes had chosen for them.

“It’s time,” Ryder said, flashing a bright smile. Unique smiled back at him a bit shyly. She knew that being polite and friendly was part of Ryder’s job, but she couldn’t help feeling a rush of warmth whenever that smile was directed at her.

Marley squeaked when the doors opened and, a second later, Unique saw why. Quinn Fabray, a massive international pop star, was sitting next to Mercedes. Unique already knew that Quinn was one of Marley’s favorite artists.

Mercedes and Quinn greeted each of them with a hug and then Mercedes said, “Would you guys like to know what you're singing?”

* * *

“Do you think we're ready?” Marley asked, looking up at Unique. “I mean, I know you're ready. But do you think I'm ready? I don't want people to think I don't have the attitude for this song.”

Marley’s performance abilities had been the subject of a lot of coaching during the two sessions they'd had with Mercedes and Quinn. Marley’s voice was gorgeous, but their coaches had encouraged her to stop holding back and show more fight. Unique had learned a long time ago that she had to let go of her self-consciousness in order to perform, but Marley was still working on it.

“Of course you're ready!” Unique replied, pulling Marley into a quick hug. “You know how to do this. You just have let go.” Their last practice in Marley’s hotel room had been amazing. If Marley could do that on stage, Unique wasn't worried.

A second later, Ryder summoned them to the stage, and they took their spaces inside the fake boxing ring that served as the stage for the battle rounds. The two of them got the green light and then the opening notes of _Blow Me (One Last Kiss)_ played as the lights came up.

Unique sang the first line and, as soon as she did, all of her nerves melted away. She loved this song; it made her feel powerful.

Marley sang next, and Unique could tell that she was going to kill it. They poured all their energy into the song, playing off of each other and dancing around the stage.

The song ended and Unique stood in the bright lights, breathless and grinning. She knew that they had both done their best, and now it was up to Mercedes.

When Unique took a look at the judges, she saw that all four of them were on their feet. The crowd behind them was going crazy. Unique turned to Marley and they gave each other a tight hug as the host, Sam Evans, stepped on stage.

“Fantastic job, ladies,” Sam said. “What do you guys think?”

“I think Mercedes made a mistake pairing you two together!” Tina replied with “Honestly, you were both so brilliant, vocally and performance wise, that I have no idea who I’d pick. Luckily I don't have to!”

Mercedes shot Tina a playful glare as Blaine started to speak. “I definitely wouldn't want to have to make this decision, but I'm glad Mercedes put you guys together, because that was one of the best battles in Voice history!

“Marley, you blew me away, pardon the pun,” Blaine continued. “You showed everyone that you're not just the sweet girl who sang _Chasing Pavements_ at your audition. You're also a fierce diva. And Unique, you were always a star, and you were in your element tonight. Great job, ladies!”

“Blaine would know about divas,” Kurt said with a grin, which made Marley and Unique giggle. “Tina’s right, Mercedes made a mistake by pairing you together, but Marley, we all made a mistake by not turning our chairs for you. You were both absolutely fantastic tonight. I definitely don’t envy Mercedes this decision. Both of you deserve to be here, and I can easily see whichever one of you gets to stay on Team Mercedes going very far.”

“Thanks for nothing, guys,” Mercedes said, shooting a glare at the other coaches. “Unique, this song was absolutely perfect for you. I am so amazed by how much you give to every single performance. Your voice is amazing, but your willingness to open up is what’s going to make people fall in love with you.”

“Thank you,” Unique said, smiling shyly. She’d always felt confident about her singing voice, but it was so different to hear that someone like Mercedes thought that people would love her, and not just her voice.

“And Marley, I had no idea what I was getting when I turned my chair for you. I knew that you had a lovely voice, but you really impressed me with your willingness to go out of your comfort zone. You were radiant tonight.”

“Okay, Mercedes,” Sam said. “Who is the winner of this battle?”

Mercedes took a deep breath. “This is one of the hardest choices I’ve ever had to make on this show. I am so proud of you both. The only thing I can do now is choose with my heart.” Mercedes closed her eyes. “The winner of this battle is … Unique.”

Unique could barely register that Mercedes had said her name, but Marley grabbed her in a hug and whispered, “I’m so proud of you.” And then Unique was stepping down to hug Mercedes and then being ushered off stage to do a reaction interview while Marley talked to the coaches.

Unique could barely gather her thoughts to say anything to the cameras. Her excitement over winning and staying on Team Mercedes was bittersweet, tinged with disappointment that her winning was at Marley’s expense. “That was so amazing,” Unique said breathlessly. “I can’t believe I won!”

Unique took another breath, and then she heard the unmistakable sound of a steal from behind her. “Oh my god!” Unique exclaimed, and then she spun around. She saw Marley stepping down the stairs to hug Blaine, and relief flooded through her. Marley was going to get to move on, too. They would be on different teams, but they’d still be in this together.

 


End file.
